Toyota,
the Ford
Motor Company and Chrysler
each said Wednesday that their sales in the United States fell more than 30
percent in September, as volatility in the financial markets compounded what
already had been a miserable year for the auto industry.

But sales were better than expected at General
Motors, which reported a 16 percent decline and estimated that its market
share rose to the highest level in more than three years.

“We are looking at a very fragile economy,” Emily Kolinski-Morris, Ford’s
chief economist, said on a conference call with analysts and reporters. “I don’t
think anyone can say where the bottom might be.”

Sales were off 34 percent at Ford, 33 percent at Chrysler and 32 percent
at Toyota. Honda,
which had fared much better than its rivals in the first half of the year,
reported a 24 percent decline.

Car dealers have been struggling to draw customers into their showrooms.
Through August, vehicle sales nationwide were down 11.2 percent.

The three Detroit automakers have suffered most as high gasoline prices
decimated demand for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Sales of light
truck are down more than 20 percent so far this year at G.M.,
Ford and Chrysler.

The companies have increased discounts on slow-selling models, with
limited success. G.M. offered all shoppers an “employee pricing” discount on
most models throughout September.

“In a very difficult and challenging industry, our relative performance
was outstanding,” G.M.’s chief sales analyst, Michael C. DiGiovanni, said.
Michael Futrell, the general manager of the Champion Chevrolet dealership in
Tallahassee, Fla., said he was able to offer deals like a Chevrolet Silverado
pickup truck at $6,500 below cost, yet few people were interested.

He said car shoppers were typically hesitant in the months before a
presidential election, but the weak economy had made this fall much worse.

“People want to buy but they just don’t want to pull the trigger until
they know who’s going to be in office and what this economy’s going to do,” Mr.
Futrell said. “What the consumer doesn’t understand is that there’s probably not
a better time to buy a car. The deals are out there, but I think everybody’s so
skeptical that they’re trying to hold off.”

He said the first half of September was actually better than expected but
that sales dried up after the extent of Wall Street’s troubles became apparent.

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